Small man-powered bump car

ABSTRACT

A small man-powered bump car that requires only human muscle as its energy source. Extended play, either individually or in a group, can be enjoyed by riders of the bump car in a relatively level ground. Riders are safely enclosed in a body panel while engaging in a healthy sport.

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

[0001] A small man-powered bump car.

[0002] 1. Field and background of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a toy/sport item thatemploys human weight and arms strength to drive and control the car.Present invention, just like traditional roller skates and skateboards,requires no energy consumption, except that of human muscle.

[0004] More particularly, present invention integrates the drive forceand control of direction into a single mechanism.

[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0006] Traditional bump cars, or similar toy items, usually require somekind of power source to drive the cars. Typical power source includesonboard battery, gasoline engine or DC/AC current flowing through ametal rod connecting to a ceiling and a metal ground that conductelectricity.

[0007] In these prior art implementations, the traditional toy carsconsumes energy to provide driving force for the cars, while the ridersof the cars steer the direction of the cars when riding the cars.

[0008] Due to the nature of these prior art implementations, thepopularity of these traditional toy cars is limited by their powersupply (electricity available in the battery, or the gasoline) or itsenvironment (metal rod with ceiling and ground).

[0009] Present invention creates a new kind of man-powered bump car thatwill give riders greater freedom for extended play without limitation byits environment or the supply of external power.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate the preferredembodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

[0011] A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

[0012]FIG. 1 shows the top view of the man-powered bump car envisionedby present invention.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows the side/section view of the man-powered bump carenvisioned by present invention.

[0014]FIG. 3 shows the bottom view of the man-powered bump carenvisioned by present invention.

[0015]FIG. 4 shows the construction of rigid column can be implementedby sections of rigid column connected by joints.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] In FIG. 1, a steering wheel 30 is shown. A rider of presentinvention can hold on to said steering wheel 30 and make consecutiveleft and right turns that generate a forward-moving force to propel thesmall bump car.

[0017]FIG. 2 shows the side/section view of present invention. Steeringwheel 30 is connected to the rigid bottom plate 12 by a vertical rigidcolumn 14. The point at which said rigid column 14 is attached to saidbottom plate 12 is some distance away from the center of the front axle130, towards the front of the bump car.

[0018] Body panel 10 can be integrated into the chassis at the bottom ofwhich the front axle 130 and rear axle 230 are attached.

[0019]FIG. 3 shows the bottom view of present invention. At both ends ofthe rear axle 230, left and right wheel assemblies are located. The leftrear wheel assembly 231 can be one single wheel or multiple wheels. Theright wheel assembly 232 can be one single wheel or multiple wheels.Said rear wheel assemblies only provide load-bearing function to thebump car.

[0020] Optional braking mechanism 40 is shown in FIG. 2 and 3 where discor drum brake can be employed to the rear wheel assemblies.

[0021] The two front wheels (131 and 132) will generate analternating-step motion when the bottom plate 12 is being turned leftand right repeatedly by rider's arms holding the steering wheel 30 thattransmits the left-and-right turning down to the plate through the rigidcolumn 14.

[0022] The left-and-right turning of the steering wheel 30 generates theforward-moving momentum. By-standers will observe a yawing effect in thefront portion of the bump car while the car propels forward.

[0023] Once a forward-moving momentum is generated, a rider cantemporarily stop the left-and-right turning of the steering wheel 30,thus stopping the yawing effect of the bump car, until the rider decidesto add more forward-moving momentum again to the bump car by holding thesteering wheel 30 and turning it left and right.

[0024] Once a forward-moving momentum is generated, a rider can controlthe direction of the bump car by turning the steering wheel 30 to thedesired direction.

[0025] To enhance the construction flexibility as well as themaneuverability of the bump car in present invention, rigid column 14can be made up of two or more sections of columns with joints 15connecting the sections, as show in FIG. 4.

[0026] Light and rigid materials are used to form the seat and the bodypanel 10 for the bump car. Said body panel 10 also may optionallyinclude a layer of cushioning material at its very outer flank toprovide for shock absorption when multiple players are present.

Parts List

[0027]10 body panel with seat arrangement

[0028]12 bottom plate

[0029]13 first side of bottom plate

[0030]130 front axle

[0031]131 left wheel of front axle

[0032]132 right wheel of front axle

[0033]14 rigid column

[0034]15 joint for sectional columns

[0035]230 rear axle

[0036]231 left wheel assembly of rear axle

[0037]232 right wheel assembly of rear axle

[0038]30 steering wheel

[0039]40 brake pedal and brake mechanism

What is claimed is
 1. A small man-powered bump car, comprising: a. Arigid chassis; b. A rigid rear axle having a right wheel assembly and aleft wheel assembly; c. A rigid bottom plate having a front axleattached at first side of said plate, wherein said front axle furtherhaving right and left wheels that are smaller than said rear axle wheelassemblies; d. A vertical rigid column attached to said bottom plate sothat the point of attachment and said front right and left wheels form atriangular shape on said bottom plate; and e. A steering wheel attachedat the upper end of said rigid column so that the turning of saidsteering wheel would result in the turning of said bottom plate.
 2. Thesmall man-powered bump car of claim 1, wherein said rigid chassis hasmeans at the bottom to fixedly secure said rear axle.
 3. The smallman-powered bump car of claim 2, wherein said rigid chassis has means atthe bottom to rotatably hold said rigid column, allowing said steeringwheel to turn and thus control the turn angle of said rigid column andbottom plate.
 4. The small man-powered bump car of claim 3, wherein saidright or left wheel assembly of rear axle may contain one or a pluralityof wheels.
 5. The small man-powered bump car of claim 4, wherein saidbottom plate is in the shape of a triangle.
 6. The small man-poweredbump car of claim 5, wherein said rigid column can be formed by usingtwo or more sections of rigid columns connected by joints.
 7. The smallman-powered bump car of claim 6 further having a wrap-around panel andseat arrangement to allow a rider to situate his/her body with armsreaching to said steering wheel.